LanguageBhutan is linguistically rich with over eighteen dialects being spoken in the country. The richness of the linguistic diversity can be attributed to the geographical disposition of the country with its high mountain passes and deep valleys that contributed to their survival.

The national language is Dzongkha, which is the native language of the Ngalops of western Bhutan. Dzogkha literally means the language spoken in the Dzongs and administrative centers of Bhutan.

The other major languages are the Tshanglakha and the Lhotshamkha. Tshanglakha is the native language of the Tshanglas of eastern Bhutan while Lhotshamkha is spoken by the southern Bhutanese of Nepali origin.

Other dialects spoken are the Khengkha spoken by the Khengpas of Central Bhutan, the Bumthapkha spoken by the Bumthaps, the Mangdepkah spoken by the inhabitants of Trongs and the Cho Cha Nga Chang kha spoken by the Kurtoeps. The Sherpas, Lepchas and the Tamangs in southern Bhutan also have their own dialect. Dialects that is on the verge of becoming extinct is the Monkha and the Gongduepkha.

ReligionBhutan is a Buddhist country and people refer to it as the last stronghold of Vajrayana Buddhism. Buddhism was first introduced by the Indian Tantric master Guru Padmasambhava in the 8th century. Till then people by and large worshipped all forms of nature, remnants of which are still evident even today in some remote villages in the country. The older form of religion was referred to as Bon and was accompanied by offerings of animal sacrifice and worshipped a host of deities invoking and propitiating them.

They believed in invisible forces and considered them as the rightful owners of different elements of nature. Mountain peaks considered as abodes of Guardian deities (Yul lha), the lakes as inhabited by lake deities (Tsho mem), cliffs resided by cliff deities (Tsen), land belonging to the subterranean deities (Lue), land inhabited by (Sabdag), water sources inhabited by water deities (Chu gi Lhamu), and dark places haunted by the demons (due) etc.